NORWICH – The Norwich Family YMCA has always had a scholarship program. “Our mission is to provide access to everyone who wants to use the Y,” YMCA Executive Director Jamey Mullen said. That is why for years, the YMCA had no problem absorbing the cost of the scholarships itself. However, over the last two years, the number of scholarship applications has grown so much, this has become an impossibility.

Last year, the YMCA did something it had never done in the history of the institution – created a support campaign called Reach Out to Your Community. Since the year 2000, the number of scholarships given out by the Y has almost doubled, making the need for this type of campaign necessary.

“The scholarships are not just for memberships; they pay for program fees, child care, and after school programs too,” Mullen said. The after school program is not limited to Norwich, but has branches in Oxford and Bainbridge, that are filled to maximum capacity. The Y also offers a branch in Unadilla Valley which still has some slots available. Mullen pointed out than in total, the Y is accommodating, almost 150 children a day.